There is nothing that inspires my own style and my general thoughts on style more than watching people on the streets of a city. From Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Vancouver, to Barcelona, Cape Town, Singapore, Zurich, London, Tel Aviv and Paris. I am fascinated by how people of all ages and sizes dress to suit their needs on a daily basis. Whether they are rushing off to work, traipsing kids off to school, having coffee at a cafe, biking, meeting friends, shopping, or going out for supper — I love to observe what people wear in all of these everyday situations. And you see it all. Classic, frumpy, trendy, retro, dated and avant-garde. Sporty, traditional, super tight and super baggy looks too. 

My love for urban style watching is the reason I enjoy street style photography. One of my favourite parts of worldwide Fashion Week coverage is looking at the photos of the fashion that is off the runway. It’s the next best thing if you can’t physically be there. Up to a point. 

YLF forum member Cocolion posted a comment about my interview with Stacy London that made me think more about the relationship between street style photography and actual street style. Commenting on NY Magazine’s In the Cut section, she said:

“Sometimes I look at street style pics and think, “free model, free clothes, free stylist” as in, the publication/website gets free material. Even though I love seeing real people. So many of them looked like models in this feature, it made me appreciate the real looking bloggers like Susie Bubble even more”.

The problem is that street style photography is not a very good substitute for what you actually see on the streets. The style you see in the photographs is very filtered by the selection process of the photographers. Generally, the most dramatic, eccentric, edgy, interesting, daring, on-trend, or fashion forward outfits are the ones that are shot. Or photographers will focus on celebrities, influential fashion industry insiders, models, or people who look like models. Case in point, most of the 50 Street Style All-Stars in this slide show are fashion magazine editors, famous fashion stylists, or models wearing expensive designer items.

Of course, street style photographers aren’t doing anything wrong by filtering street style. Their goal isn’t to create a perfectly representative view of street style. Rather, it might be to draw us in with what they think are unique, aspirational, eye-catching or sensational pictures. And this is inspiring too, especially for designers who are looking for creativity, latitude, and potentially trend setting looks. 

So although street style is not representative of what you really see on the street, I will continue to browse street style sites because it’s fun to do so. It’s eye candy. I love looking at what the big wigs in fashion are wearing. I love to see what it was about an outfit that motivated the photographer to take the photo. My Pinterest board is full of street style outfits that have inspired me in some way, be it the specific outfit combination, or the general concept.

But if I want to be truly inspired by authentic street style in all its wonderful variety, I have to travel and physically walk the streets.

This is a great chunky cardigan for a relaxed setting. It has fun colour blocked faux leather panels on the inside of the lapels that look interesting and attractive. It also has the same panels on the outside side seams. You can wear the cardigan to showcase them more, or keep the panels subtle in the way the model is wearing the sweater. The cardigan has pockets and the long ribbed cuffs add extra drama and tailored polish. It’s great over jeans, slim cut trousers, a pencil skirt or sheath dress. A great vehicle to dress down your look.

I fitted this onto a petite client, and the cardigan did not look overwhelming. Runs true to size and is fairly lightweight despite the volume. It drapes well for a chunky knit and it does not itch. A fab item for $79 full price.

Carrying a clutch handbag during the day seems like a bad idea because it’s impractical for a myriad of reasons. They won’t hold all your stuff. They aren’t hands-free. You might leave them behind after you’ve set them down. The concept is just really awkward. I know. I thought exactly the same thing, leaving all my clutches for evening dates and fancy occasions. 

Yet, I persevered because I love the look of a daytime clutch. After my first road test of the concept, I was surprisingly hooked. I am now comfortable enough to shop with a client all day, or do errands with a daytime clutch, and not feel hindered in the slightest. Granted, I do not carry a lot in my handbag to start off with, and apart from the Chanel clutch, the ones I use are all mid-sized. I’ve just added an oversized clutch to my handbag capsule and like carrying that too, although my preference is for the mid-sized.

Here’s why I’m a daytime clutch carrying convert:

1. They look modern: There is something about the aesthetic that screams “graphic modern fabness” to my eye, especially when the clutches are rectangular with sharp corners.
2. They look minimal: Their strap-free integrity adds a simpler element to your outfit, which personally speaks to my minimal style.
3. They look different: Wearing a clutch during the day makes a different type of fashion statement to the oversized handbag.
4. They are unfussy: I’ve found carrying a clutch less fussy when they are mid-sized or smaller. Less bag equals less fuss. The fact that they are not hooked onto a body part, like a shoulder or elbow, makes me feel more carefree. And when I need both hands, I pop my clutch under my arm. That little trick works like a charm.
5. They are kind to your neck and shoulders: I generally don’t carry bags on my shoulder or across my body because I find these styles less comfortable. Neck and shoulder pain is often the result of this type of bag style. So I clutch the straps of my satchels in one hand, or hook them into the crook of my arm. The way I already carry my satchels made carrying a daytime clutch less of a stretch.
6. They force you to carry fewer items: I’ve pared down the contents of my handbag even further to accommodate my smaller clutches. Lighter handbags make me happy.
7. You need a style change: Handbags are my favourite wardrobe item and very much part of my outfit. I’m enjoying how a clutch makes my daytime outfits look and feel different.

I still carry my satchels with pleasure, and prefer non-clutch handbags when I’m wearing a wool coat. Most of all I’m enjoying the change of switching out my satchels for clutches. The effect, for the moment, feels fresh.

Have I converted anyone to Team Daytime Clutch, even if it’s just over the weekend and for a short space of time? If you’re not convinced, I challenge you to road test the concept just once!

It was a real treat to interview Stacy London from TV show “What Not to Wear” at the Westfield Style Tour. She is warm, fun, bubbly, exuberant, passionate, knowledgeable, instantly likable and a complete natural in front of an audience. 

One of the first things that we did after official introductions was high five that being in our forties was extra fabulous (Stacy is 43 and I am 42). I loved that! It was a perfect bonding moment. I also loved Stacy’s openness about herself. I never knew that she had spanned sizes 00 to 16 in her style life. She also happily admits that she had an awkward style stage from age 9 to about 30. She feels that now is the best style stage of her life and it just keeps on getting better. And I’ll high five to that too. 

Stacy’s very relatable persona paved the way for a delightful interview that went something like this. 

Angie: What is the best thing about your job? 

Stacy: Great question! Think outside the box, sister! Well, the more people I meet, the more women I interact with, the more I evolve. There are very few careers where one’s personal development is completely attached to what they get to do every day. It’s SO gratifying and eye opening. It makes me feel connected to people, in a way that I actually didn’t feel very much when I was younger. It’s really very nice to be on the other side of 40, and start to feel a bigger sense of community than I had growing up.

Which are your favourite trends for Fall 2012? 

That’s so hard! Okay. I will say that I am having a bit of a leather moment. I got this insane, almost the colour of a cardboard box leather trench coat. It’s SO AMAZING. Truly. And it’s from Helmut Lang. From far away it looks like dull canvas. That’s the thing you know, a few years ago I was feeling things that were a lot harder. I was really into all things Rick Owens. Black leather, black shoes, all dark, and wanting everything to look tougher. But things changed for me last Spring. All these beautiful soft pastels, peplums, the florals and lace felt like fashion was more optimistic. Not that fashion was reflecting our economy, but it was trying to change the psychology of being in this growth recession, which, let’s face it, is still a recession. I loved that it was like fashion leading the charge towards feeling better, instead of you know, hemline lengths depending on whether the stock market was doing well. I started to change and soften my look quite a bit. Now I am much more interested in mixing colours and patterns. A lot less black for me. I’m loving lace. LOVING lace! I love its femininity and want to mix a little soft leather with lace. 

I really turned a corner when I turned 40. It’s so much better than my 30s, when I was a lot less certain of myself. I am much more confident and secure with my own power in a way. At 40 I really started to own it, own my quirkiness. I own what is weird and difficult about me, instead of feeling this need to apologize for everything. I see women do this all the time, and it makes me crazy because oh god it took me so long to get here and I want to tell everybody be who you are! Love who you are! I feel like I try to empower women with clothes. 

What do you think of all the fun flat shoe styles that have emerged over the last few seasons? 

Totally love them! I’m so into a man’s brogue I can’t even say. 

(Then Stacy notices my shoes)

Look at your spectators! Okay, SHUT UP! LOVE them! And they aren’t flat! I’m still rocking my heels, you know. But your shoes are so, so incredible. I have my eye on two pairs of flat brogues this season. Back from the ’80s!

We are in an era of fashion that has taken the best elements of decades past and added to it a good dose of  “modern”. It’s up to us to take what’s fashionable and make it reflect who we are in our own way.

Yeah! Yeah! ABSOLUTELY. I really agree with you that 21st century style is becoming something very personal, instead of trends ruling the way people dress. We keep on trying to pinpoint what it is in fashion that is new because trends keep on recycling themselves. But I feel that now, just like you, it’s so much more about what the individual decides to do with fashion that has become the reigning principle. 

What is your viewpoint on age appropriate dressing?

It’s essential and I feel very strongly about this. To be completely honest, it’s very tricky when there are a lot of women out there, particularly in their 40s and 50s, who look fantastic for their age. And then it becomes a lot more difficult to navigate that water. These women look so good, have worked hard to look so good, so they want to wear things that show off how much work they have put into exercise and healthy living.  

You can never take the age factor away. You always want to look good for your age, but not like you are chasing your youth. Because that has an air of desperation to it. When you think about aging, there is no alternative. The only alternative is to be in the ground! Why don’t we revere aging more? Why don’t we dress in a way that really honours who we are, at whatever age we are. In other societies, age is so revered, but in our culture we prize youth above so much else. At a certain point, no matter how much plastic surgery and botox you have, you are either going to look old or weird. Those are your options. Personally, I would rather age with grace. I’m not against anyone doing anything to look younger. I’m saying just do it with grace. You can’t avoid getting older. Your personal style has got to evolve along with your age and reflect your own self respect. 

What are your top wardrobe must haves for Fall 2012? 

Oh! Leather, brocade and faux fur for sure! Tweed, pattern mixing, and lots of texture mixing. Lace and tweed, Brocade and tweed. And colour! All sorts of colour, from jewel tones and earth tones to brights and metallics. There’s also a great Asian pattern trend. So chic! 

If you could share a quick style tip or two with us, what would they be?

I guess my number one thing would be, (and I am tired of saying make sure your clothes fit and wash your hair): don’t waste a waist. It sounds so obvious but women forget that they absolutely have to define their waist in order to create body shape. Women have waists. Even if they have tummies, you can still define the waist! 

And the second one would be, don’t get stuck in your own story. That means don’t get stuck believing things about yourself that may or may not be true — until you try something new. Push yourself into your discomfort zone. Don’t say never, and always try. 

And on that note, I asked Stacy what she thought of the oversized trend that has created another very acceptable fit. 

The very oversized look is really hard for real people. So, I think the oversized trend has its place. I love a boyfriend jacket, oversized trenches, a boyfriend jean and slouchy trousers, and all these fun things that remind me of thrifting in the ’80s. But my argument is that if you are going to do volume in one place on the body, you have to define the body in another place. Baggy pants with fitted tops. Baggy coats with fitted suits. There are always ways to translate things from the runway back onto real people. It’s this all important interpretation that needs to be made between what the designer is showing as their art, and what we can actually wear as real people. 

Stacy and I also had a huge chuckle about wanting a pair of those fashion forward flat high top sneakers because we have fond ’80s fashion memories of them. 

I could have yakked with utterly delightful Stacy all day, and was sad to see our time together end. It was extremely enjoyable and I found myself nodding along with Stacy’s answers throughout the interview. A very big thank you to Stacy for taking the time to speak with me from the heart, and for shouting her valuable message from the rooftops. Style can be learned, and we can ALL look and feel fabulous.